Convertible chair.



Patented Feb. 20, I900.

E. J, LUTWYCHE. CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

(Application filed Aug. 22, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

I .N' VEN TOR.

.dttarneys WITNESSES.

THE Nonms Pzrzns co. PNOTU-LITMO.. wAsumurcm. u. c

s 3 sea. Patented Feb. 20 I900. No 4 E. .1. LUTWYCHE.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

' dA .22, 1898. (No Model) (Apphmm me 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

x y XXXKVYYYWVWWSNWWXXxxxXix WITNESSES.

THE Nonms PETERS co. Puoruumvl. WASHINGTON. q. u:

'NrTED STATES PATENT Enron.

EDGAR J. LUTXVYOHE, OF BELLAIRE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ANNIE D. LEUTY, OFDETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 643,663, dated February20, 1900. Application filed August 22,1898. Serial No. 889,221. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR J. LUTWYOHE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bellaire, in the county of Belmont, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Chairs; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description'ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,whichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in convertiblechairs; and it consists more particularly in the means employedforeffecting an adjustment of and for locking and supportingthe movablemembers of the chair in their various positions, as hereinafter morefully set forth, and pointed out more particularly in the claims.

The objects of the invention are to provide simple and efficient meansfor supporting the hinged back of a chair in which the arrangement issuch as to enable said back to be readily manipulated and a furtherarrangement whereby the hinged leg-support and foot-rest may be readilyoperated and supported at various degrees of inclination at the will ofthe operator. These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of achair embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing bydotted lines the various positions which the chair may be made toassume, the arrangement being such as to enable the chair to beconverted into a couch when desired. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of themeans employed for lockin g the hinged leg-supporting section. Fig. 4 isa plan View of the chair converted into a couch. Fig. 5 is a detail,partly in section, showing the spring-actuated locking-plunger adaptedto engage the curved rack-bar which supports the back of the chair. Fig.6 is a horizontal section as on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detailin elevation of one of the plates forming the keeper which receives thecurved rackbar and the locking-plunger. Fig. 8 is an elevation of theopposite plate of said keeper.

A of the seat-frame extending rearwardly beyond said hinges a to afforda support for the back and relieve the hinges a from strain when theback is extended horizontally, as shown in Fig. 4.

To support the back of the chair at any degree of inclination, thecurved rack-bars O are employed, the upper ends of which are pivoted ata to the side rails of the frame of the back and whose lower ends passthrough the keepers located upon the inner face of the extended ends ofthe side rails A of the seatframe. These keepers comprise two opposedplates 1') and b. The plateb is provided with a recess 6, adapted toreceive the rack-bar O, and with the opposed lugs d, formed on the innerface thereof and between which the locking-plunger D is adapted to lieand reciprocate. This plunger is adapted to project into the recess 1)in the keeper and engage the notches of the rack-bar O lying therein tolock said bar against movement. The plate I) is adapted to be secured tothe face of the plate I) to maintain said parts in their relativepositions within the keeper. When the locking-plungers are Withdrawnfrom engagement with the rack-bars, said bars are free to pass back andforth through the keepers, enabling the back of the chair to be tiltedto any desired angle, when said plungers are caused to engage saidrack-bars and lock the back of'the chair in said position.

The locking-plungers D are supported upon the inner faces of the rails Aof the seatframe,their inner ends passing through brackets c and beingpivoted at c to the short crankarms 0 on the transverse shaft D,journaled at its opposite ends in said rails, said shaft being actuatedby an integral right-angled lever 6, formed on one end thereof and lyingparallel with and adjacent to the outer face of one of the seat-rails.Mounted upon each of the plungers D is a coiled spring 6, one end ofwhich is attached thereto, while the oppo site end bears against thebracket 0. It will now be understood that by a downward throw upon thelever e the shaft D will be actuated to retract the locking-plungers D,so as to free them from engagement with the rack-bar C, at the same timecompressing the coiled springs, which upon the release of said leverwill throw said plungers outward into en gagement with the rack-bars.

It will be seen upon referring to Fig. 7 that the locking-plungers fitsnugly between the lugs (1 within the keeper and that the inner endsthereof are beveled so as to enter tightly into the notches e of therack-bars, thereby obviating, any lost motion and rattling of the parts.When the locking-plungers are re tracted, the ends are drawn back beyondthe face of the lugs 61, which serve to prevent said rack-bars fromswinging into contact with the locking-plungers as they pass through theways I)" in the keepers during the operation of raising and lowering theback of the chair.

The arms E of the chair are pivoted at f to the back and atf to theupper ends of the standards E, which are in turn pivoted at their lowerends, as atf, to the side rails of the seat-frame.

F designates the leg-supporting section of the chair, which normallydepends in front of the seat and which is united by means of the hingesg with the standards E. By hinging the leg-supporting sect-ion F to thestandards E in the manner described said section may be swung upwardly,as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, to support the legs of theoccupant of the chair, which movement is independent of the movement ofthe back. To provide for supporting the section F in an extendedposition, a plate his secured upon the inner face of the standards E,which is provided with a curved notched face i and with a curved slot76. Formed in the rail of section F is a recess, in which is pivoted acurved dog G, having upon one end a button m,which projects above thesurface of the rail of said section, and at the other end a hook n,adapted to engage the notches i of the plate It. Located over the recessin which said dog is pivoted is a plate II, through which passes thepivot-pin 0 of said dog. Bearing against the curved face of the dog G isa spring, (shown by dotted line 0 in Fig. 3,) which serves to hold saiddog normally in contact with the notches of the plate h. By pressingdownward upon the button m the dog G will be moved upon its pivot, so asto carryits hooked end n from engagement with the notches of the plateh, when the section F maybe freely moved upon its hinges 9. Upon therelease of the button 171. the spring 0 throws the hooked end of the dogG into contact with the notches t' of said plate, serving to lock thesection F in an extended position. In raising the section F a depressionof the button m is not necessary, for the reason that the hooked end ofthe dog G will traverse the notches of the plate h as said section israised.

It is only when the section F is lowered that a depression of the buttonm is necessary to disengage the hook n from the notches of the plate 71.Mounted upon the pivot 0 of the dog G is an arm J, which projectsrearwardly and carries in its rear end a pin 0", adapted to lie in thecurved slot of the plate h. By this arrangement the upward movement ofsection F is limited, preventing said section from being raised so highas to carry the dog G past the notches of the plate It.

Attached to the bottom edge of the hinged section F is-a foot-rest I,which is hinged to said section at r and is provided with a pivoted dog0*, adapted to engage a ratchet-plate r to maintain said foot-rest at anangle to the section F, said construction being similar to that employedto maintain the section F in an extended position, and will thereforeneed no further description.

By reason of the fact that the arms E are pivotally united with the backand with the standards E, as said back is tilted rearwardly the sectionF, attached to the standards E, is raised and caused to stand at aboutthe same incline as the back. In fact, the arrangement is such that inthe normal position of the parts the back and the section F 5 are causedto move in unison, the section F rising as the back is tilted rearwardlyand returning again to its normal position as the back is raised.Besides this movement in unison with the back the section F may beraised independent of the back, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the legs ofthe occupant may be supported in an extended position while the body ofthe occupant is erect.

Pivoted to the back of the chair, near the upper end thereof, are thelegs B, which may. be swung outward, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,and serve to support the back of the chair when extended as a couch, asshown in Fig. 45.

When the chair is extended to serve as a couch, any desired inclinationof the head may be attained by raising the section F. It is obvious thatthe chair may be made sufiiciently wide to serve as a double couch whenextended, if so desired.

Having thus fully set forth this invention,

what is claimed is-- 1. In a convertible chair, the combination with therigid seat-frame, the back hinged to said seat-frame, the side rails ofthe seatframe extending rearwardly of the point of the hinged connectionbetween said back and seat, a keeper mounted upon the ends of each ofsaid projecting rails, curved rack-bars pivoted to the back of the chairand passing through said keepers, spring-actuated locking-plungersmounted upon the rails of the chair entering said keepers and engagingsaid rack-bars therein, a transverse shaft connect ed with saidplungers, and a lever upon the end of said shaft.

2. In a convertible chair, the combination with the rigid seat-framehaving side rails Whose rear ends project beyond the seatframe of thechair, keepers mounted on the projecting ends of the rails of saidframe, the back hinged to said frame, a curved rack-bar pivoted to theback and adapted to pass through said keepers upon the projecting railof the seat-frame, said keepers comprising a plate having a recesstherein and provided with opposed lugs on its inner face extending intosaid recess, spring-actuated plnngers entering said keepers between saidlugs, and means for actuating said plunger.

3. In a convertible chair, the combination with the seat-frame, the backpivoted to the seat-frame, the arms pivoted to the back, the standardspivoted to the seat-frame and to the arms, the leg-supporting sectionhinged to said standards, the notched plate mounted on the standards,the spring-actuated dog pivoted in the leg-supportin g section andengaging the notches of said plate, said dog having a button on one endwhich projects above the plane of the leg-supporting section foractuating said dog.

4. In a convertible chair, the combination with the seat-frame, theleg-supporting sec- EDGAR J; LUTWYGHE.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY H. LEUTY, M. A. MARTIN.-

